hartshorn



May 24, 1932. s. D. HARTSHORN APPARATUS FOR PREPARING GQAL Filed March28, 1929 INV ENTOR Patented May 24, 1932 UNITE STATES STANLEY :0.naarsnoan, on sat. DAVIDS,

lssaset PATENT ina PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO PENNSYL- VANIA GEUSHERCOIHPANY, OF NEW YORK N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEXV YORK APPARATUS nonPREPARING COAL Application filed March 28,1929. Serial No. 350,704.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the operation ofcoal-breaking structures familiarly knowna-s Bradford breakers,instances of modern type of such breakers being disclosed in the patentsof Borton and application filed of even date herewith. The generalmanner of operating thesebreakers being well-known, it is unnecessary torefer to the'same except in general terms. The coal to be reduced insize is introduced at one end of the breaker, carried up by a series ofshelves, and advanced by a series of defiectors. Any foreign material,in the form of tramp iron, sulfur balls, slate, etc.,

usually accompanying the coal, is delivered from the end of the breakeropposite the feed end, while the prepared coal passes through aperturesin the plates making up the wall of the breaker. V

If thecoal undergoingpreparation isdry or comparatively so, littledifficulty is experienced in the operation of breakers of this type. Ifthe coal is wet, however, the surface or free moisture present causesthe fines accompanying the coal and found in practically all instancesof bituminous coal intended for preparation by passage through a breakerof this type to clog the apertures of the plates making up the walls ofthe breaker, and -materially reduces the active portion ofthe same. Inpractice, it has frequently happened that two. or more rows of plateswill become completely clogged during "operation on wet coal containingfines; necessitating frequent stoppage for the purpose ofv removing thisclogging material fromthe apertures of the breaker wall.

The object of my invention is;to prevent this clogging of the aperturesin the walls of the breaker drumand to this end'I propose to screen fromthe coal fed to the breaker drum substantially all of the finesaccompanying the same. For this purpose I replace the usual feed chutewith a movable or vibrating screen, which screen receives the materialfrom the car or other container and subjects it to a more or lessviolent shaking operation for the purpose of removing the finestherefrom. The tines so removed may be delivered to the same conveyingmeans that serve to carry away the'prepared coal which has passedthrough the apertured V .walls 'of the breaker. Hillel, and Hiller, Nos.1,086,129, and a 1,322,568, respectively, and in my companion Variousforms of screens serving as feedmg means, and varlous forms of mechanismfor operating the same may be employed within the scope of my invention.I

' These and other features of my invention are more fully describedhereinafter; refer ence being bad to the accompanying draw ings, inwhich: I

Figure 1 is aview in side elevation of a breaker of the Bradford typeenclosed in a housing usually employed in the use of the same; such viewbeing partly in section on the line II, Fig. 2, and

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the breaker structure and housingillustrated in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow a, andpartly broken away. I

Thebreaker drum, which may be made up of end frames .or'spiders, 1, 1,longitudinal members 2, and a seriesof apertured plates?) connected tosaid longitudinal members' and forming the wall (or walls) of such drum,is shown in Fig. 1 as mounted in a housing structure indicated generallyat 5. Breaker structures of the Bradford. type are carried by stubshafts at each end; indicatcd at 6 in the present instance and formingtrunnions which may be mounted in suitorder-that thesebreaker structuresmaybe driven, one end of the same is provided with gear sections 9,annularly arranged, with a driving pinion (not shown) in engagementtherewith.

' At the feed end of the structure, instead of delivering the coal fromthe car or other container to a feed chute for passage to the interiorofthe drum,I interpose a suitable form of screen 12 which may be of theshake 1 In the present instance, I have shown leaf springs 13 havingslotted ends -supp0rtingthe screen, with a rotating eccentric member (ormembers) 14, driven in any suitable manner for the purpose of agitatingthe screen by lifting the same; the springs serving to e rfect returnmovement of the screenf'T he "eccentric member (or members) 14 may becarried by a shaft 15 having a pulley wheel or other rotatable powertransmitting member 16 connected by a beltor otherwise to a prime mover.Other forms of screens and other op crating means are within the scopeof my 1nvention.

The coal to be broken with-the accompanying fines is delivered from thecar or other container to a hopper 17, which may be located directlyabove the screen 12; such screen being moved more or less rapidlydepending upon the quantity of fines accompanying'the coal. As a resultof this operation, the coal delivered to the breaker is in lump sizeminus the fines and is, therefore, in better shape to 'beprepared by thenormal operationof the breaker structure. As the entire bodyoffines hasbeen removed from the lump coal prior to its entrance to the breaker,all danger of the wet tines clogging the apertures of the 7 platesmaking up the wall of the breaker is avoided.

Below the housing enclosing the breaker I may provide a conveyer of anyusual type, indicated diagrammatically at 18, and the coal passingthrough the breaker maybe re-' ceived thereon. This housing is extendedbeneath the screen so that the fines removed from the coal subsequentlypassing to the breaker may be received on the same conveyer. It will beunderstood that the fines possess'the same fuel value as the coalprepared in the breaker; the ob]ect 1n rem'ovmg them from the coalsubsequently brokenbeing' to increase the efiiciency of the breaker bypreventing the clogging of the apertures 1n the wall of the same throughwhich the broken coal passes.

vVhIle i have illustrated and described certain specific forms ofmechanism and an arrangement thereof intended to function for the,desired purpose, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limitedto the precise mechanism illustrated nor the exact manner of associatingthe parts employed for carrying out the method or process of preparingcoal constituting the subject of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with. a rotating coal breaker of the Bradford type,of a movable screen over whichthe coal is delivered for passage to thebreaker structure; said screen serving to remove the fines, means forimparting movement to sand screen, and a housing for said breaker andscreen extending beneath the latter and receiving the fines and brokencoal. 7

2. The combination with a rotating coal bneaker ofthe Bradford type, ofan inclined screen over which the coal is delivered for passage to thebreaker structure, means for agitating the'screen; said screen servingto remove. the fines, and a housing for said breaker and screenextending beneath the latter and receiving the fines and'broken coal.

3. The combination with a rotating coal breaker, of a movable screenover which-the coal is delivered for passage to the breaker structure;said screen serving-to remove the fines, means. for imparting motion'tosaid screen, collecting means for said broken coal and fines, and acommon receiver movable beneath said collecting means.

4. The combination of a rotating coal breaker of the Bradford type, avibrating screen disposed ahead of such breaker and over which the coalis delivered for passage thereto; said screen serving to remove the;fines,-means for imparting motionto said screen, means for impartingrotative move-i117 ment to said breaker, and a housing for breaker andscreen extending beneath the latter and receiving the fines and brokencoal. i

5. The combination with a rotating coal breaker of "the Bradford typehaving apertured plates through which prepared and sized coal may bedischarged, of ascreen for the removal of fines from such coal prior toits delivery into the breakingchamber, means; for agitating said screenduring passage of the coal, andv common means for carrying off the finesand the/prepared coal delivered from' the breaker structure.

' 6. The combination with a rotating coali s breaker of the Bradfordtype having apertured plates through which coal prepared and slzed bybreaking may be discharged, of a screen for theremoval ofrfines fromsuch coal prior to its delivery intothe breaking chamber, means foragitating said screen during passageof the coal over the same, a commonconveyer belt for carrying off the fines and prepared coal, and separate'chutesfor delivering the brokencoaland fines to said' belt. f p r Inwitness whereof 'I'ihave signed this specification; I

I STANLEY D. HARTSHORN;

